Everyone has a thing they move on, for better or worse. And mine happens to be everything I have right at this moment. So long have I endured mundaneness and attitude, verbal abuse from not only customers at a job I had wanted to resign from for so long, but my own legal guardians.

For better or worse, I would think it would be so much better if I had the freedom to not be confined to school, work and home- each of the three a prison with different methods of causing my mental health to decline. I surely don’t get paid to deal with snotty kids- all of whom should’ve matured since middle school, but haven’t and only became craftier at being sneakier and meaner then imagined, and I surely do not get paid to deal with my legal guardians harping along my back over small things. “Clean your room! Put up the dishes!” All of which, I do, to shush them up. They say I am only under their house paying no rent due to me doing these chores, instead of letting me live for free until I find my own place.

I do get paid, however to deal with snotty, entitled “Customer is always right” people at work. Still, not enough money to help me in any way. Two years at the job and I’ve only gotten a raise of a dollar- $8.50 to $9.50 an hour, which, I know isn’t bad compared to other paying jobs in the fast food industry, but I hold this to the fact my coworkers (all of which, including three managers started working there after me. I even trained a manager before he even got the manager title) each get paid more than I. And even with the money I get paid to deal with customers, I find it not enough to openly accept the “customer is always right” card, considering two individuals (both of who’ve been banned from said job) yelling at me for an incorrect order and/or being “pulled too long” all of which I had nothing to do with. I know of nothing that happens at Drive thru (where one incident took place) and no way to refund an order due to it being placed online.

And yet I had to be yelled at.

So, one could only imagine the freedom and peace I felt when I got accepted to a college. I would have reason to move, and a reason to leave the job that I only stayed at due to feeling pity that if I left they’d be short staffed.

I felt free, until I was told I wouldn’t be able to move until after I graduated.

Still, the glimmer of hope and freedom I never had. I never been able to travel or go places with friends because of my grades, even if they were passing grades, “I could always do better” Or it was “last minute” so knowing I’ll be able to drive soon- and having owned a car for about a year now, was freeing. They couldn’t stop me from going anywhere.

I’ve waited for this day, this freedom for a long time and it’s fast approaching. When I graduate I won’t be confined to four walls of any building. I’ll be able to freely drive to go see friends.

Of course, that’s only if I pass all my classes.

If I don’t pass, the car I paid half for would be sold and I wouldn’t even get the money I paid for it back, which wouldn’t be illegal since it’s yet to be on name.

But freedom drives me to pass and pass I will.

I’ve been waiting for graduation for years now, so pass I will, despite failing one class, I will bring that grade up so I can walk the stage. And freedom.